You'll Catch Your Death

Portrait

Hugh Hood was born in Toronto in 1928 and studied at the University of Toronto, where he completed his Ph.D. in 1955. He worked as a university teacher for over forty years -- over thirty of those years spent at the Universite de Montreal. He was married to painter and printmaker Noreen Mallory and had four children. He died in Montreal in August of 2000.Hood wrote 32 books, amongst them novels, collections of stories and essays, an art book, and a book of sports journalism. His most extended project, begun in 1975 and occupying him right up until the time of his death, was a twelve volume roman fleuve entitled The New Age / Le nouveau siecle. The last book in this series, Near Water, was published by Anansi in 2000.

Pressestimmen

'This is Hood at his best: compelling first-person voice; simple, elegant narrative line; evocative, resonant imagery; and a commitment to messy, life-affirming irresolution. ...A cultural theorist specializing in fast food -- he cheers the triumph of the quarter-pounder over Marx, Darwin, and Freud -- prefers an intensely romantic reverie to the instant gratification of quickie sex with "Joline from Moline" in the story of that name.' Quill & Quire 'There is also something misleading and at the same time strangely appropriate about the titles Hood has chosen for his short stories. Enticingly insinuating and sometimes slightly lascivious, it is obvious that they have been chosen with the utmost appeal in mind. Phrases like "hot cockatoos" and "Jill's disappearing nipples" conjure up immediate and striking visual images. Images such as those are never created without a definite purpose in mind. ...'Hugh Hood, whose thirty-year career includes such books as 1962's Flying a Red Kite and the New Age series, continues his success with You'll Catch Your Death. Tackling such diverse subjects as loneliness, heroism and the search for perfection the author uses his insight into the human condition to create a world as eclectic and eccentric as the one it reflects.' Winnipeg Free Press